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Open Data Ingestion and API Driven Architecture by FixStream

Open Data Ingestion and API Driven Architecture by FixStream

In my last blog, I discussed the need for auto-discovery in hybrid IT environments and the business values that enables for enterprises. In this blog, I will focus on an open API data ingestion architecture strategy that further leverages the power of auto-discovery and correlation to unify the heterogeneous IT operations landscape.

Enterprise IT environments are becoming increasing complex with hybrid IT deployment models with virtualization, cloud, containers, and software defined-architectures. New technology adoption introduces newer management and operations tools. The number of tools used to manage the hybrid environment is increasing across various operations domains such as infrastructure monitoring, ticketing, orchestration, automation, application management, security, etc.

In fact, more than 35 percent of IT professionals surveyed said there are too many tools and dashboards. They say this disjointed situation makes them slower to respond to critical issues and identify sources of trouble.

Nemertes Research’s John Burke says the more toolsets, the tougher it is to use them effectively.

That said, the fact is many of these tools are important to IT. And they’re not going away any time soon, at least not all of them.

So what’s the solution? The solution is to bring these tools together to a unified operations view via open API data ingestion and a single-pane-of-glass approach.

That’s exactly what FixStream has done with its Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations, or AIOps, platform.

FixStream AIOps platform is built on an open API data ingestion architecture. The open API data ingestion layer is built on a robust set of APIs used for communication with different domain specific tools. APIs are at the heart of the open API data ingestion architecture, which allows for data collection from the following categories of tools in a standard way:

Application Performance Management (APM) solutions like AppDynamics and New Relic

The ability to do open API data ingestion from an array of data sources is critical. It allows for an accurate, real-time view of all the moving parts in hybrid IT environments. That includes all applications, all business transactions, and all infrastructure.

FixStream has enabled this via the introduction of connectors and Southbound APIs. We have put together some prepackaged connectors for the most popular tools in use today. Additionally, our APIs enable FixStream’s industry colleagues and customers to build their own connectors.

As you know, APIs are bridges that connect software together. Forrester Research has called the API the poster child of digital transformation. That’s because APIs enable different systems to work together for more efficient operations and better outcomes.

For our customers, FixStream’s APIs and connectors add up to ease of use, elimination of siloes, great efficiency, and more intelligence. They enable users to get more value out of AIOps and from their existing tools too. The value of disparate, domain-specific data that exist in domain-centric tools is significantly enriched when ingested into the FixStream AIOps platform, powered by its multi-domain, multi-vendor and multi-layer correlation.

Getting an end-to-end view of your applications and network resources requires a lot of things to come together. And our APIs – and related connectors – help make that happen, and build value in the process.

Our open API approach for ecosystem enablement is in many ways similar to the disruption that happened in the smartphone mobile app ecosystem. Smartphones deliver powerful open platforms such as iOS or Android for developers all over the world. That enables those developers to deliver powerful applications that run on the smartphone O/S.

FixStream’s open API data ingestion is pivotal to build a community and ecosystem for enablement of data ingestion from various sources. That enables our partners, customers, third-party vendors and developers to build connectors to ingest data to FixStream to leverage the power of FixStream AIOps.

I am very excited about the opportunities and benefits it will enable for our partners and customers to drive business value.